“The entrepreneurial community at McCombs is thriving,” says Aaron Lyons, MBA ’11 and a partner at TVL. “You see more and more students coming in with ideas, and launching those ideas isn’t necessarily the ‘plan B’ anymore—it is the plan.

“Formal systems, like TVL, give students a real life perspective of what it’s like starting a company or working for a startup. Competitions provide a simulated experience of raising money with real investors. Students coming through these programs have more confidence, easier access to investors, and are better equipped to have meaningful conversations with and speak the same language as those investors. It’s clearly an advantage that others don’t have.”

Below, see which companies have been TVL members, who participated in the investment competition as students and who has alumni leading the way.